Dermal exposure and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene among asphalt roofing workers.

The primary objective of this study was to identify significant determinants of dermal exposure to polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) among asphalt roofing workers and use urinary 1-hydroxyprene (1-OHP) measurements to evaluate the effect of dermal exposure on total absorbed dose. The study population included 26 asphalt roofing workers who performed three primary tasks: tearing off old roofs (tear-off), putting down new roofs (put-down), and operating the kettle at ground level (kettle). During multiple consecutive work shifts (90 workerdays), dermal patch samples were collected from the underside of each worker's wrists and were analyzed for PACs, pyrene, and benzo(a)pyrene (BAP). During the same work week, urine samples were collected at pre-shift, post-shift, and bedtime each day and were analyzed for 1-OHP (205 urine samples). Linear mixed effects models were used to evaluate the dermal measurements for the purpose of identifying important determinants of exposure, and to evaluate urinary 1-OHP measurements for the purpose of identifying important determinants of total absorbed dose. Dermal exposures to PAC, pyrene, and BAP were found to vary significantly by roofing task (tear-off > put-down > kettle) and by the presence of an old coal tar pitch roof (pitch > no pitch). For each of the three analytes, the adjusted mean dermal exposures associated with tear-off (812 ng PAC/cm2, 14.9 ng pyrene/cm2, 4.5 ng BAP/cm2) were approximately four times higher than exposures associated with operating the kettle (181 ng PAC/cm2, 4.1 ng pyrene/cm2, 1.1 ng BAP/cm2). Exposure to coal tar pitch was associated with a 6-fold increase in PAC exposure (p = 0.0005), an 8-fold increase in pyrene exposure (p < 0.0001), and a 35-fold increase in BAP exposure (p < 0.0001). Similarly, urinary 1-OHP levels were found to be significantly higher on days when an old pitch roof was removed, accounting for a 3.7-fold difference at pre-shift (p = 0.01), a 5.0-fold difference at post-shift (p = 0.004), and a 7.2-fold difference at bedtime (p = 0.002). The pyrene measurements obtained during the work shift were found to be strongly correlated with urinary 1-OHP measurements obtained at the end of that shift (r = 0.8, p < 0.001) as well as at bedtime (r = 0.7, p < 0.001). Ultimately, the results of a distributed lag model indicated that dermal exposure during the preceding 40 hours had a statistically significant effect on urinary 1-OHP. The presence of coal tar pitch was the primary determinant of dermal exposure, particularly for exposure to BAP. However, the task-based differences that were observed while controlling for pitch suggest that exposure to asphalt also contributes to dermal exposures. We found that dermal exposure was a significant determinant of total absorbed dose, suggesting that control strategies aimed at reducing occupational exposure to PACs should include an effort to minimize dermal exposure.

Inhalation and dermal exposure among asphalt paving workers.

The primary objective of this study was to identify determinants of inhalation and dermal exposure to polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) among asphalt paving workers. The study population included three groups of highway construction workers: 20 asphalt paving workers, as well as 12 millers and 6 roadside construction workers who did not work with hot-mix asphalt. During multiple consecutive work shifts, personal air samples were collected from each worker's breathing zone using a Teflon filter and cassette holder connected in series with an XAD-2 sorbent tube, while dermal patch samples were collected from the underside of each worker's wrist. All exposure samples were analyzed for PACs, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene. Inhalation and dermal PAC exposures were highest among asphalt paving workers. Among paving workers, inhalation and dermal PAC exposures varied significantly by task, crew, recycled asphalt product (RAP) and work rate (inhalation only). Asphalt mix containing high RAP was associated with a 5-fold increase in inhalation PAC exposures and a 2-fold increase in dermal PAC exposure, compared with low RAP mix. The inhalation PAC exposures were consistent with the workers' proximity to the primary source of asphalt fume (paver operators > screedmen > rakers > roller operators), such that the adjusted mean exposures among paver operators (5.0 microg/m3, low RAP; 24 microg/m3, high RAP) were 12 times higher than among roller operators (0.4 microg/m3, low RAP; 2.0 microg/m3, high RAP). The dermal PAC exposures were consistent with the degree to which the workers have actual contact with asphalt-contaminated surfaces (rakers > screedmen > paver operators > roller operators), such that the adjusted mean exposures among rakers (175 ng/cm2, low RAP; 417 ng/cm2, high RAP) were approximately 6 times higher than among roller operators (27 ng/cm2, low RAP; 65 ng/cm2, high RAP). Paving task, RAP content and crew were also found to be significant determinants of inhalation and dermal exposure to pyrene. The effect of RAP content, as well as the fact that exposures were higher among paving workers than among millers and roadside construction workers, suggests that the PAC and pyrene exposures experienced by these paving workers were asphalt-related.

Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure among asphalt paving workers.

OBJECTIVES: Using urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) as a measure of total absorbed dose, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the total effect of inhalation and dermal PAH exposures while considering other factors such as age, body mass index and smoking that may also have a significant effect on urinary 1-OHP. METHODS: The study population included two groups of highway construction workers: 20 paving workers and 6 milling workers. During multiple consecutive workshifts, personal air and dermal samples were collected from each worker and analyzed for pyrene. During the same work week, urine samples were collected pre-shift, post-shift and at bedtime each day and analyzed for 1-OHP. Distributed lag models were used to evaluate the independent effect of inhalation and dermal exposures that occurred at each of several preceding exposure periods and were used to identify the relevant period of influence for each pathway. RESULTS: The paving workers had inhalation (mean 0.3 micro g/m(3)) and dermal (5.7 ng/cm(2)) exposures to pyrene that were significantly higher than the milling workers. At pre-shift on Monday morning, following a weekend away from work, the pavers and millers had the same mean baseline urinary 1-OHP level of 0.4 micro g/g creatinine. The mean urinary 1-OHP levels among pavers increased significantly from pre-shift to post-shift during each work day, while the mean urinary 1-OHP levels among millers varied little and remained near the baseline level throughout the study period. Among pavers there was a clear increase in the pre-shift data during the work week, such that the average pre-shift level on day 4 (1.4 micro g/g creatinine) was 3.5 times higher than the average pre-shift results on day 1 (0.4 micro g/g creatinine). The results of the distributed lag model indicated that the impact of dermal exposure was approximately eight times the impact of inhalation exposure. Furthermore, dermal exposure that occurred during the preceding 32 h had a statistically significant effect on urinary 1-OHP, while the effect of inhalation exposure was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: We found that distributed lag models are a valuable tool for analyzing longitudinal biomarker data and our results indicate that dermal contact is the primary route of exposure to PAHs among asphalt paving workers. An exposure assessment of PAHs that does not consider dermal exposure may considerably underestimate cumulative exposure and control strategies aimed at reducing occupational exposure to asphalt-related PAHs should include an effort to reduce dermal exposure.

Paraoccupational exposures to lead and tin carried by electric-cable splicers.

To test the hypothesis that electric-cable splicers contaminate their homes with lead and tin, nine splicers were matched with nine of their neighbors. House dust samples were collected in two areas within each home: a laundry room/dirty clothes area, and a composite sample from other areas in the house. Samples were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence for lead and tin (tin is a tracer to the occupational source of lead). The difference in the geometric mean lead concentrations in the laundry areas between the splicers' and neighbors' homes (1021 ppm and 390 ppm) was statistically significant (p < 0.025). The difference in concentrations from the other areas of the house (585 ppm and 329 ppm) was also significant (p < 0.05). Tin concentrations in house dust were very different between the two groups (p < 0.0005), suggesting that electric-cable splicers were contaminating their homes with lead and tin from work. Recommendations are included to prevent paraoccupational lead exposures by eliminating the pathways into the home. Another recommendation suggests that blood-lead levels be screened in children under the age of seven who live with electric-cable splicers.